Monday, October 1, 2012

Chicken Divan (Wheat/Grain Free) & Oldest Son's Birthday Celebration

Happy October!  Sunday, we had the whole family over to celebrate my oldest son's birthday.  I made Chicken Divan, one of his favorites.  I was the only wheat/grain free person in the bunch, so I decided to use the occasion to experiment with making a small wheat/grain free version for myself too.  I also managed to conquer one of the major hurdles, which was to create a substitute for the canned cream of chicken soup used in the original recipe.  I ended up making homemade wheat/grain free cream of chicken and/or mushroom soup (I posted the recipe on yesterday's blog) and simply substituted buttered browned almond flour for the buttered breadcrumb topping...and "voila", I was eating Chicken Divan.  It was awesome! We are having leftover Chicken Divan again for dinner tonight too.  Well, I just struck another item off my grain free bucket list...yahoooo!  ;-)  I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipe for the revised wheat and grain free version of Chicken Divan.  Enjoy!

P.S. -- I'm also posting some pictures of the chocolate birthday cake my son requested for his birthday (below the Chicken Divan recipe).  It's a Hershey's Black Magic Cake w/ Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.  WARNING:  It is full of wheat and sugar!  I did not eat any...not even a tiny taste and promptly sent all the leftovers home with them too.  Interestingly enough...not only did I not eat any of it...it actually didn't bother me one single bit to make it, bake it, serve it, etc.!  I didn't need any willpower...because I had "WB power" which simply eliminates all my cravings for sweets.  I was just so thrilled to have been able to eat Chicken Divan!  So, if you are bothered by the sight of wheat filled goodies...don't scroll down below the Chicken Divan recipe.  I am posting it so other family and friends can take a peek at it.

Voila -- Mine fresh out of the oven!

Before going in the oven...mine (left) and theirs!
One more pic of mine before getting popped into the oven
One more view...
BOOM!

Chicken Divan (Wheat/Grain Free Version)

Ingredients:

1 pkg of 3 boneless chicken breasts (approximately 1-1/2 lbs), cut or torn into large chunks
1  10-oz pkg frozen broccoli spears or florets, cooked & drained well (or fresh broccoli)
1-1/2 cups Wheat/Grain Free Cream of Chicken or Mushroom Soup
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used an olive oil based mayo)
3/4 - 1 teaspoon curry powder (more or less depending on your taste)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I use a little more)
1/3 cup almond flour lightly browned in 2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:
  • Lightly grease a glass 11" x 7" or 2 quart casserole dish.  Layer well drained broccoli in the bottom of baking dish (florets facing outward).  Next, add chunks of cooked chicken breast over the top of the broccoli.
  • In a medium to large bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, curry powder and lemon juice; mix until combined.  Pour and spread the sauce mixture over the top of your broccoli and chicken layers.
  • Next, sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top of the sauce, followed by the buttered and lightly browned almond flour.
  • Bake at 350 F for approximately 25-30 minutes until bubbly and topping is browned.  Can be served with rice if allowed on your eating plan; otherwise it is good as is.  Makes approximately 3 servings.

WARNING:  Birthday Cake Below is NOT wheat/grain free -- STOP HERE, IF NECESSARY

Below are a few pics of the cake I made my son for his birthday celebration yesterday; he requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  This is a Hershey's Black Magic Cake w/ Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, decorated with mini Hershey kisses and Reese's peanut butter cups.  Even though I didn't eat any of it, everyone else that did really liked it. All got sent home with them too! :-)







6 comments:

Anonymous said...

what brand mayo do you use?

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

For this recipe, I used Hellman's. I normally don't eat mayo.

Kathy said...

I am so excited to find your Wheat/Grain Free recipe for Chicken Divan. Questions - Your recipe calls for 1/3 cup almond flour lightly browned in 2 Tablespoons butter. I've never done this before so how do I "lightly brown" the almond flour and butter? Is this done in a skillet? If yes, what temp do I set the burner?

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Kathy -- I just melt the butter in a small non-stick skillet and then stir in the almond flour (much like you would when making buttered bread crumbs). You don't need to brown it much because it will cook in the oven. Just do it lightly over low-medium heat. Don't brown too much or burn the almond flour. Hope that helps! :-)

Kathy said...

GCC - Thank you for the quick response! I had never made buttered bread crumbs before either so I was uncertain what procedure to follow. You're the best!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Kathy -- hope you enjoy! :-)